Extracting gold



J. F. BOYNTON. Extracting Gold 8m., from Ores. N..226,965. .PatentedAp'ril 2-7, ,1s=so.f

FIG. I.

INVENTUFU vWITNESSES:

substances not attacked bychlorine. and also l 3o plied in the shape ofthe sofcalled chloride of lime, (bleaching-powder,) which, when mixed u1 in preparing the gas and storing it in a gasgo the gas. is not allowedto escape to interfere bnrssir einen.

JOHN F. BOYNTON,

EXTRAGTING GOLD,

er saco, MAINE.

are., FROM ones.

SPECIFICATION forming part of!- Letters Patent No. 226,965, dated April2"?, 1880.`

To all 'wiwi/,nl it mag/concern: f y Be it known that L JOHN F.'BoYN'roN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Saco, in the county of Yorkand State of Maine, have 5 invented eert-ain new and useful Improvementsin the Processand Apparatus for Extracting Gold and other` Metalsfromtheir Orcs; and l. do hereby declare that the following is' a full,clear, and exactdescription of the invention, .ro`which will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to `make and use thesame.;`

This invention relates to improvements in extracting gold and othermetals from their ores, compounds or mixtures, and other -subx 5 stancesby what. is known as the chlorine process. 1

Itis well known that chlorine will dissolve gold and other metals` andlform soluble chlorides, which can then ber leaehed out, leaving suchchlorides as are not soluble. m This chlorine process has been oftenused, 'especially in making exact assays of gold ores and mixtures.

. -It has also been applied asl a working metal- .25 lurgical method,but has Vbeen attended by many practical difficulties. If chlorine gasis s'ed byany otherordinary method, its corrosive nature has veryseriously interfered with its application. Of lateyears ithas beenapwith ore, upon the addition ofsulphuric acid, liberates chlorine,whichdissolves the gold or lime, has been mixed with the ore and'chlorine gaspassed into the mixture under pressure,

so 'as to dissolve the gold 5" or a solution of chlorine in Water hasbeen digested with the ore; so as to dissolve and leach out thc gold asa chloride.

Now, myinveution differs from all these; and

it consists,rst, in exhausting the air from the "essel containing thevore prior to'adniit-v ting the chlorine in the form of gas; second,

`ometer or holder, so that jt may be supplied as' wanted to the -vesselscontaining the orcs third, in devices for manipulating the ores insuitable vessels, so that the necessary connections may not beeasilydisarranged, so than y with the workmemso'that there may be no:

is generated.

Application led February 152, 11.880.

useless waste otmaterials, and so that a complete cont-rol of theoperation be secured.l

I n the accompanying drawings, which Show suitable apparatus forcarrying out my inven-r tionJFignre 4l is longitudinal section, partlyline ma" of Fig. l.

A B shows a chlorine-generator of ordinary construction, where, by amixture of common salt (sodium chloride) and black oxideof mangallese(manganese dioxide) and the addition of sulphuric-acid, chlorine gas maybe produced. Any'other compound capable of producing chlorine insufcieut quantity maybe substituted.

The chlorine gas passes by pipe a into vessel C, where-it is washedinthe ordinaryiway, and passesthence into the gas-holder D by pipe b.This holder is nicely balanced, vso that it will riseand fall withoutpressure, or very slight pressure, on the holder audits connections. 1,A

- The vessel E is for holding `theore while being treated, and may becalled the chlorinator.7 It is made very strong, so as to resistcollapsing when exhaustedpf air, and is pref erably made of stone orslate or fany suitable 'in elevation; and Figi 2, a cross-section in the-materia-I. It may be from threewtojsix feet`in length, in the form of acylinderTl-isay about 8e three feet in diameter. 3

F shows aneXhausting air-pump, of ordi- -nary construction, connectedwith the chl-orinator by pipe dand'coupling 3.

The chlorinator E is placed onlrails or tramway,- asshown, so as to berolled from side to side, so that when-the treatment is iinishedit maybe rolledaway to be emptiedand replaced by other vessels.' ThechlorinatorY E may, if desired, serve as aleaching-tank.

The pit G serves for the workmen that handle the chlorinator.

H is a vacuum barometer or gage to show the degree of exhaustionconnected with vessel E by pipe c in said vessel. f

The following is my way-of using chlorine Have a gas-holder like anyother holder for burning' city gas. Fill in any way as the gas When itissupplied and the holder is up, or partly so, let it balance on theweights, so that if the gas is sucked out the holder would descend byreason of the IOO effective increase of external pressure due to the.vacuum rather than by its'own weight- This holder could stand ready foruse. It

may be made of lead varnished with paraine or other varnish not actedonby chlorine. A tube is run from the holder to an apparatus,

or may be made of stone or stoneware. In

this vessel, which 'is 'called' a chlorinator or. vacuum-chloriuator,7the well-roasted ore, dry or damp, isput, andthe air.exhausted, so as toproduce as perfecta vacuum as possible, by an air-pump, or by othermeans. yBy means of the'pipe leadingfrom the gas-holder the 'gas(chlorine) is allowed to enter slowly or rapidly, chlorinatorand minglewith the ore or metal to be operated on by the pure chlorine. The gaspenetratesamong the'particles, fills the spaces or interstices, and actson the particles, as wellas. on the ,surface of the pile-of ore. Thechlorinaton is now tumbled or rolled so that the ore in it may betumbled over it- Vquantities are z,- hausting,

ssV dry,

self or agitated while the chlorine is combining with the gold or othermetals. As the chlorine enters into 'combination additional drawn intothe chlorinator and exhausted from the holder. Since the gas com- -bineswith the metal of the ore, and is th'ereby condensed, the ei'cct isproduced by exnot by pressure. Bythis vmeans (exhausting) thechlorinator is free of all air, vapor, and gases, the surfaces of theparticles of ore brought into perfect contact, and

the most perfect action insured, as there are no other elements toconflict with the action, of he chlorine. Chlorine being heavier than'air and some other gases, it tends to remain on the ore at the bottomof the apparatus and not to.

escape. Now, when all action has stoppedthat is, of the chlorine on themetal-al stream of watermay belet into the chlorinator at'thel level ofthe ore, or beneath it, and thus raise' the remaining chlorine out ofthe ore into 4th'e space above, and by filling the chlorinator withwater the remaining gas can be driven bacliinto the holder, rraising itup in proportion to the quantity forced back',l or he chlorine can beblown awayI by air sim ly by attaching atube to a blaeksmiths bellows orany/"other blower and blow air through the chlorinator and' deliver' theair and chlorine wherever desired. When chlorination is comlike an oldsoda-fountain, lined with'lead,

as4 occasion may require,into the which is not absorbed by theo're canbe'blown or forced back to the holder 'by the same pipe it came in byand to ,act on the other ore in another 4 chlorinator. strong coupling,since all joints and pipes might be made of. -india-rubberand slippedThis would get rid of] onto the tubes without nuts andlscrews, no

pressure being used.

l prefer to have all my tubs or vats for settling, filtering, Src., madeof slabs of slate,

sawed and worked at the slate-factory, ready to be set up at the mine.

I intend to make the generators of the gas or chlorinators of stone orslate Where no pressure is required 'to occasion leaksor corrosion ofjoints.

' .I makemy chlorine in vthe usual way from chloride of sodium, (commonsalt,) manganese dioxide, (black oxide of manganese,) and sulphuricacid, or by other substances. In thisway of generating the gas inseparate vessels, keeping it pure and apart from the ores, and

usingit, as wanted, pure, the gold chloride,

when ltered, will be free from lime sulphate, as is not now thecasa-where the chloride of lime and sulphuric acid are used with the orein the chlorinator 'under pressure.

Pressure and impurities are what I desire to get rid of. Theuse of.chlorine under pressure is troublesome -to the operator and'corrosive tothe apparatus employed.

y My invention is a preventive against 'ex.

plos'ions arising from the chemical action of chlorine on nitrogen A ornitrogenous compounds. It saves the nseof strong and-tightl j packingwhen pressure is used.

Air can'be used as an agitator for stirring up the ore or sedimentswhile chlorinating, washing, course, removed as required inchlorinating.

My vacuum process removes allait-or ga's from the surface of the ore andallows the chlorine to'conie immediately in contact with clean surfaceof the metal, to vact without havinganything to cause conlicting action,

such asvapor-water, carbonio acid, air, oxygen, nitrogen, or othergases, as must evidently be the case when chlorination --is performedinother ways, and when chlorine compounds are decomposed by acids.

The quantity of chlorine used can be con- .trolled by stopping thedelivery of the chlorine gas, as may be indicated by the barometer,

showing when the vacuum is partially or wholly supplied.

All, the-work of chlorination may be done in a partial vacuum, as ceaseto indicate vacuum as chlorine is let in, and will indicate an increasein the vacuum as the metalor ore takes it up.

Having thus described my invention what I claim, and desire to Asecureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The process herein described for extracting gold and other metals,consisting in exhausting or removing leaching, or hltering, it being,.of

the air from the treat:V

IOS

IIO

the barometer will ing-vessel und supplyig'chlorine to replace a.balanced gasdlolder, a treatiug-vesel proxo the 'air and tilt' the vacumcreated, substantially'as set forth.. j 2. In apparatus' for treatingores by the =5`eh1orine.process,' thevcombinzttion of a chlo-Hue-generator, :t gas-holder, and a treatingvessel provided with mea-ns'for'.freeilrlg it from air, 2111 substantially as Set forth;

3'. The combination of a chlorine-generator,

vided with im exhaust apparatus, and a. pressure-gage, all substantiallyas set forth and described.-

JOHN F. BOYNTON.

Witu esses:

GEO. M. LoGKWooD,- A. MOORE. v

